Postponed: 6th Avenue Light Rail Bridge Roll-out

Due to bad weather, the RTD FasTracks team has chosen to postpone the planned roll-out of the 6th Avenue Light Rail Bridge from this weekend until next weekend, weather permitting.

Palmer Lake Meets Set For May

For those near the Front Range, a small, semi-regular gathering of railfans reconvenes at their usual spot, a small parking lot in north Palmer Lake (see map). The meet is as egalitarian and informal as possible, with no meals or facilities provided. Someone usually brings a scanner that picks up what trains are in the area.


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Fastracks West Corridor 6th Ave Bridge Roll Out Next Weekend

UPDATE 4/23/2010 5:00 PM: POSTPONED ONE WEEK. Due to weather, RTD has postponed the roll-out by one week.

The RTD FasTracks West Corridor team will roll out the main span of a double-track light rail bridge across 6th Avenue just east of Simms & Union the weekend of April 23rd through April 25th, 2010. All lanes of 6th Avenue between Simms & Union and Kipling Street will close at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, April 23rd to prepare the area for the roll-out, scheduled to begin early Saturday morning. 6th Avenue and the frontage road will re-open by 5:30 a.m. Monday, April 26th.

Rio Grande Scenic Railroad Makes Some Changes for 2010 Season

The San Luis Valley has been a world unto itself for centuries. Cut off from the rest of Colorado by mountains on three sides, it has a rugged beauty and a feel that's different from the rest of the state. Once breached by the rails of the infant Denver & Rio Grande over Veta Pass on its way to Durango, the valley's riches were easily carried to Pueblo, Denver and beyond. Today, the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad based in Alamosa, Colorado functions as a short line feeding the Union Pacific connection at Walsenberg.

Coming in May: Springtime in the Rockies Photographer Special

In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club charter on May 21, 1950,  the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic is running a photographers' special on May 25th, 2010. The train will operate on the Cumbres & Toltec from Antonito to Osier and return. Motive power will feature green-jacketed K-36 Mikado Locomotive 489.

SCFD Free Day At the Colorado Railroad Museum Tomorrow

As part of Denver's regional Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), the Colorado Railroad Museum receives sales tax dollars collected across the district. As a thank you to the region, facilities have "free days" where admissions are not required. The museum has two free days this year. The first is tomorrow, March 20th, 2010.

Train Show In Denver This Weekend

As previously announced in the Colorado Railroads Google calendar, the World's Greatest Hobby On Tour is coming this weekend to Denver. On February 20th & 21st, WGH On Tour will be at the National Western Complex from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $10 for adults with kids 16 and under free. For more details, visit the WGH site.

Photos From the Great Train Expo In Colorado Springs

On January 16th and 17th, the Great Train Expo paid a visit to Colorado Springs at the Phil Long Expo Center. This show was three months after the GTE in Denver at the National Western Complex.

Ski Train Dates Canceled With Judge's Decision

The Grinch showed up right on time. Now, the Ski Train's 70th season is very much in doubt. Trains will not run until at least January 6th, and even that is highly unlikely.

Great Train Expo In Denver

Ever the masters of advance publicity, the Great Train Expo announced this week that they're in Denver this very same weekend.

So, tomorrow and Sunday, November 7 - 8, 2009, visit the Great Train Expo at the National Western Complex. Admission is $7 for adults and kids over 12. Kids under 12 are free. Admission covers both days. The show's hours are 10 AM - 4 PM both days.

Other upcoming shows:

• Great Train Expo in Colorado Springs at the Phil Long Expo Center on January 16-17, 2010
• World's Greatest Hobby Tour in Denver at the National Western Complex, February 20-21, 2010
  

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Garden Railway Open House

Garden railways come into their glory in the summertime. If someone ever offers you the chance to view their layout in their back yard, don't let it slip by! In case you're wondering when you'll ever be invited, today's the day!

Greg Posta of Ridgway, Colorado, has a backyard 1:10 scale model railroad emulating the Rio Grande Southern with about 2,500 feet of track. He is doing a double fundraiser open house to benefit the San Juan Historical Society in their efforts to restore the Silverton caboose and to help his wife, Mary Posta, fight Multiple Sclerosis with an adult stem cell procedure. A donation of $10 covers the entry fee (the Silverton caboose) and the picnic lunch (Mary's MS). The open house is on June 27 & 28 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. See the Events Calendar entry for directions and more information!

June 27	June 28

Train Shows In February

The cold weather of winter can't reach indoors to many a model railroad pike. Most modelers make a lot of progress on their layouts during the winter months and train shows during these months are sure draws, both for the exhibitors and the shoppers in search of those hard-to-find items they need. Two such shows are on the Front Range in the next two weeks.

Rails in the Rockies
This weekend, Estes Park will host Rails in the Rockies. Offered by the Estes Valley Model Railroaders, this show will run this Saturday (Valentines Day) 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Conference Center at the Holiday Inn in Estes Park. Adults are $5 and kids under 12 are free with an adult admission. Visit the EVMR site for more information, including maps, floor plan, and photos from previous years.

Add Rails in the Rockies to your calendar:

Saturday	Sunday

The Great Train Expo
Next weekend, the Great Train Expo pulls into Denver at the National Western Complex, 4655 Humboldt St, Denver, CO. Saturday, February 21 and Sunday, February 22, the doors will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. Admission for adults will be $7 and kids under 12 are free. This is a large event that pulls in exhibitors and hobby shops from several states around the Rocky Mountain region.

Add the Great Train Expo in Denver to your calendar:

Bring your wallets and your cameras to capture the magic of model railroading, where old railroads never die and new railroads and railroaders get their start.

Train Show in Denver This Weekend

There's a big train show in Denver this weekend. The Great Train Expo returns to the National Western Complex this Saturday and Sunday, November 8th and 9th. Doors open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Adults are $7 and kids 12 and under are free. Admission is good for both days.

Christmas Trains

I have updated the Colorado Railroads Special Events Calendar to include the Christmas trains slated to run this season. The Colorado Railroad Museum, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic, the Rio Grande Scenic, the Manitou & Pikes Peak, and the Durango & Silverton all plan to run trains this year. Only C&TS's Cinder Bear train is scheduled to run during the day.

If you have kids ages 3 to 10, I'm sure they'll get a kick out of riding a Christmas train. Prices are much reduced from the regular season fares with many running at $10 per child and $20 per adult. Hear the sleigh bells yet? You will.

UP Steam In Denver For DNC

Editor's Note: There's a lot to report on, lately, so there might be a few more posts than usual.

The Union Pacific Steam team is displaying their locomotive 844 in Denver for the Democratic National Convention this week. They are scheduled to be in town until this Thursday, August 28th. It departs back to Cheyenne on Friday the 29th. Kevin Morgan caught the trip into Denver last week. (view this and all special events on the Colorado Railroads calendar)

C&TS Returns K-36 Mikado 489 To Active Service With Ceremony

This Wednesday, August 20th, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad will return to service the Rio Grande K-36 locomotive 489 after a five year absence. Nearly $1 million was spent restoring the engine to operating condition. An official ceremony with all the fanfare and trimmings is planned for 9 a.m. on the 20th in the Chama yard. At 10 a.m., #489 will depart with her train for Cumbres Pass and onward. For further details, please contact the railroad.

Trolley To Run August 9th At Denver Federal Center

According to Dave Schaaf, Rocky Mountain Railroad Club will be rolling out their trolley car 25 at the Denver Federal Center. Dave writes,

The public is invited to see and ride this beautifully restored antique railcar. Visiting hours will be on Saturday, August 9th, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m at the Denver Federal Center. Enter the Federal Center at gate #1 from Kipling Street, between 6th Avenue and Alameda. Tell the guard that you would like to go to Building 78 for the trolley open house, and then follow the signs. Government issued photo IDs are required for all adults. Pets and firearms are not permitted, and there are no nearby restroom facilities. Rides are free but donations are gratefully accepted. Books and memorabilia will be for sale.

Update: Darren Hadley with Railroad Adventures captured this picture of the car at the presentation.

Cheyenne Frontier Days Special Train Tops Summer Weekend In Colorado

This is just a reminder to everyone about the activities tomorrow. Any time you're looking for updated information on Colorado railroads, be sure to drop by the Special Events Calendar.

First, we have the Cheyenne Frontier Days Special Train run by Union Pacific between Denver and Cheyenne. The train runs again tomorrow. While the tickets have been sold out, there's likely to be a spot or two open on the photo line. This will be the last scheduled run of UP steam on the Front Range this year, seeing that the 2008 State Fair Express is already canceled.

Second is the Colorado Railroad Museum's 4th annual Wine & Cheese Train. An historic narrow gauge passenger train powered by a steam or diesel locomotive will run at approximately 20-minute intervals between 10 am. and 4 p.m. on the museum grounds.

Third and last is the Colorado Wildflower Special on the Leadville, Colorado & Southern. The train is scheduled to leave the station at 10:00 a.m. The tickets run $40.00.

Have fun this weekend, and don't forget to check the weather!
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Chris May's Photos of the Cheyenne Frontier Days Special

Volunteer At the Colorado Railroad Museum June 28th

For those in the Denver-Golden area on June 28th, the Colorado Railroad Museum will be hosting its first all-Museum work day. Volunteer coordinator Kelvin Harr says that there will be mini-restoration projects, landscaping projects, track projects, and office projects that volunteers start and finish that day. Have fun, get your museum fix, and end up with a real sense of accomplishment. Contact Kelvin@crrm.org if you would like to help out!

On a side note, several mechanically inclined volunteers are needed at the Colorado Railroad Museum to put the No. 50 Switcher back together. They need a Project Leader and individuals to work on installing the transmission, clutch, air brake rigging and running gear. If this is your cup of tea, contact Kelvin Harr at the link above.

Rio Grande Scenic Railroad's High Altitude Concert Series Returns

Do railroads and music go together? Any blues fan, any country artist would tell you, absolutely they go together! So maybe it's just a natural fit that a railroad already gathering a reputation for delighting the eyes continues its attempts to engage our ears with songsmiths and poets.

Rio Grande Scenic Railroad, Colorado's newest scenic railroad, begins its High Altitude Concert Series on July 17. In its second year, the train’s mountain concerts feature the return of cowboy poet and Western Music Hall of Fame inductee, Michael Martin Murphey, along with country and bluegrass singer Ricky Skaggs, among other national recording artists. The Rio Grande Scenic Railroad has the only ticket to this exclusive Colorado concert setting among a natural meadow amphitheater of aspens and pines under clear starry skies. Performances take place on Fridays and Saturdays through August. If this sounds too good to pass up, here's your link to more information on the High Altitude Concert Series.